Households in Serbia and Kosovo paid the lowest energy prices in Western Balkans

Households electricity prices in Serbia and Kosovo* are the lowest in the Western Balkans region, though both countries had the highest increase between the first half of the 2016 and first half of this year, the Eurostat data showed.

Expressed in euro, the average electricity price per 100 kWh in the 1st half of 2017 in the European Union was EUR 20.4 while in Serbia and Kosovo* price was EUR 6.6.

The highest electricity price in the region was in the Montenegro (9.7), followed by Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (8.2), Albania (8.4) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (8.6).

When expressed in purchasing power standards (PPS), an artificial common reference currency that eliminates general price level differences between countries, the lowest household electricity prices were found again in Serbia (14.6), followed by Bosnia and Herzegovina (17.8), Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (19.1), Albania (19.3) and Montenegro (19.7).

In the European Union (EU), prices in national currency slightly decreased (-0.5%) on average between the first half of 2016 and the first half of 2017 while in the majority of the Western Balkans countries increased. The highest increase was registered by far in Kosovo* (+12.2%), followed by Serbia (+4.1%), BiH (+3.3%) and Montenegro (+1.7%). Price in FYRM decreased (-0.4%) and didn’t change in Albania.

Taxes and levies in the EU made up on average over a third (37%) of the electricity price charged to households in the first half of 2017.

The share of taxes and levies in total household electricity prices varied between Western Balkans countries, ranging from 23% in Serbia to 12% in Montenegro.